Mike Ferguson - Website Design For Small Business

Avoid Inbox Fatigue: The Right Email Frequency for Small Business

Summary: Email frequency directly affects engagement, unsubscribes, and deliverability. Most small businesses should start with one email per week and test higher cadence only for engaged segments. Keep unsubscribe rates below 2% and spam complaints under 0.3% to stay in inboxes. Use segmentation and automation to send relevant content, and run re-engagement campaigns at 60–90 days of inactivity to maintain list health. Daily sends work only for short promotions or launches, with clear subscriber notice. Follow CAN-SPAM and Gmail/Yahoo rules for one-click unsubscribe and fast opt-out processing. Track open, click, and complaint rates to refine strategy over time. Why Does Email Frequency Matter? Email works when it’s welcomed, not resented. Studies show email marketing still delivers one of the highest ROIs — $36–$42 per $1 spent depending on industry — but only if people keep opening your messages. Over-mailing can: Push subscribers to hit “unsubscribe” or mark you as spam. Lower open rates because your name becomes background noise. Hurt sender reputation, pushing future emails to the Promotions tab or spam folder. Under-mailing isn’t harmless either. People forget who you are, and your next email feels like spam even if they opted in. How Many Marketing Emails Per Week Is Too Many? There isn’t a single magic number, but research and deliverability experts give some guardrails: 1 email per week is a safe starting point for most small businesses. 2–3 emails per week may work if your list is engaged and content is valuable. Daily sends risk triggering complaints unless they’re short bursts for sales or launches. A simple rule: if your unsubscribe rate stays below 2% and your spam complaints stay below 0.3%, your cadence is probably fine. What Are the Best Practices for Segmenting Your List? Segmentation makes email frequency less risky because messages [...]

By Mike Ferguson|Categories: email marketing, Internet Marketing, Ramblings|Comments Off

Winning The Domain Lottery: Selling A Valuable Domain

When A Domain Was Caught Up In A Bidding War AKA: The Good Old Internet Gold Rush Days Back in the mid-1990’s (or more fondly, “ancient times” as we know the internet ages at the same pace of a dog), I had a fine civil servant’s job in Sonoma County, CA. And like everyone else I’d found myself quite amused by the new internet and my Mac Performa (rockin’ the 4 megs of RAM, baby!). To get perspective on just how long ago this was, my co-worker Sue did a little moonlighting as a realtor agreed with me that the internet had genuine possibilities as a tool for selling houses. This was a cutting edge idea, no doubt about it. Put up the house listing, add pictures and sales information…it was pure genius. Armed with a recent dalliance with “Photoshopping” my face into famous pictures and scenes (alas, those are long lost) and emailing them to amused friends at their AOL addresses, I set out to secure my first domain at what was an early incarnation of Network Solutions. I thought the pictures might make for a fun little website in addition to the millions I’d make as a trail-blazing real estate mogul. I paid my $50.00, completed the email based registration form that required some delicate and unforgiving formatting and secured my new the domain. [Regrettably for this story, I have only a passing recollection, but fully developed paranoia about the terms of the agreement (the domain must remain cloaked) and I’m pretty sure I wasn’t allowed to discuss them. I am, a man of my word. That, and the major media company hinted at below is still quite active and I suspect they have many attorneys on retainer.] Keep reading, it will make more sense. Over the [...]

By Mike Ferguson|Categories: Internet Marketing, Technical|Comments Off

Why We Don’t Offer Email Accounts

Looking For A Company Email System? Run, Don't Walk From Accounts Tied To Your Hosting Small Business Insights: Email Any self-respecting website designer that includes hosting as a service likewise offers email accounts as well, right? That's just how things are done. I mean not only email accounts, but unlimited email accounts with unlimited storage. And a free dessert. And a ride home after the show. At The Affordable Web Guy, we've decided to not offer email accounts and here's why. The big boys do it better and we can't match the services, scope, and scale of major players like Google Suite (Gmail) and Microsoft's Office 365 (I just threw up in my mouth). Yes, it's true. While we appreciate your confidence in our top shelf personal service, we don't offer what some might consider a cornerstone feature. It's not a complicated explanation. The long-story-short answer is: We could offer free accounts but we've found them regularly unreliable and stripped of core features. Who needs that? Then we'd also have to manage and administer your accounts during inevitable downtimes. Also, we don't want to be anywhere near your email accounts (we'll leave that to the NSA). And for $6 a month, we think Google Suite is a pretty good deal even without the calendars, storage, and online collaboration tools that come with it. We're happy to help you set up a Google Suite account (as needed). And let's be honest--you'd rather be holding your own "keys" to your own Super Administrator email account than rely on a third party. Those login credentials will look better on you than they do on us. Slimming, in fact.

By Mike Ferguson|Categories: Technical, Web Design Services|Comments Off

It Ain’t Magic. It’s Just Good Service

Earn Your Client’s Trust & Keep It Small Business Insights: Customer Service Just about every time I turn around, there is some new piece of technology or some new buzzword-filled marketing trend, that is claiming to be the magic pill that web-based businesses have been searching for to get more sales. Just do this one unique thing, they tell you, and all your e-commerce dreams will come true. The “one thing” almost always conveniently involves spending money on a product or service that promises to be the “it factor” you’ve been missing. Can I tell you a secret? In all my decades of experience as a small business owner myself, I’ve only found one thing that really works, and it’s as old-school as it gets. What I’m talking about is great customer service. Taking care of people is the oldest practice in the book, but it works. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve gotten contracts because, according to the client, I was the ONLY person to call them back – and that’s just the simplest form of customer service. Even in today’s more impersonal Internet age, taking care of clients really, really works, and here’s why: It Costs You Less Money and Less Time There are tons of ways to get attention in the e-commerce world, and most of them cost money, time, or both. Putting together advertising campaigns, studying the buying habits of your target audience, paying for PPC ads – all these things take valuable resources. I’m not saying these things are bad. Most of them have their place in your toolkit of ways to attract attention. But great customer service is one of the most affordable, and least time-consuming, ways to boost your brand. Why? Primarily because it costs far less to retain customers [...]

By Mike Ferguson|Categories: Internet Marketing, Web Design Services|Comments Off

Everybody Hates Laundry, But That’s No Reason Not To Do It

Everybody Hates Laundry, But That’s No Reason Not To Do It Small Business Insights: Marketing A Guest Blogger post by Daniel Titus Earlier this week I was meeting with a colleague who has designed a massive site for a large and ever-evolving organization. The site has been built; the code is working; everything is ready to go, but they still haven’t launched yet. Why? Because the week before the scheduled launch date there was a change in the information—then another and another. The information can’t stay current enough for approval, so the launch gets delayed. Exasperated by it all, my colleague exclaimed, “Look, you’re always going to have changes; that’s why I have a job! You can’t wait until all of the changes are finished to do something or nothing will ever get done. It’s just like the laundry!” I thought that was very insightful. In the past, I’ve compared websites to everything from houses to dentistry, but laundry was a new one on me. There is something quite genius about it though. Here are just a few points of connection. Delays Don’t Help We’ve got three little boys living in our house. Laundry comes not in a trickle but by the truckload. The washing and drying need to be done constantly and with little care. The whites are not separated out; temperatures do not vary, and the drier will likely stay full until the next time wash is done. The problem is that I have some nice shirts that I want to be washed a little bit more delicately, so while my wife does laundry for the entire family (like every day) I wash my nice clothes when needed. Every now and then I’ll think, Oh, I’ll wait for this shirt or that day to do laundry. This shirt is [...]

By Mike Ferguson|Categories: Internet Marketing, Web Design Services|Comments Off

Perception Is Reality: We Can’t Be Bothered By Facts!

Making The Most Of What You HaveSmall Business Insights: MarketingPerception is reality...don’t let anyone sell you on anything else. So why not alter perception to your advantage? I pulled into my local gym the other day, noticing an ever-increasing phenomenon...a powerful indicator of human awareness, or more accurately---the lack of it.Walking through the parking lot, I neared the front entrance, noticing two women verbally going-at-it, because one had squeezed a massive vehicle into a slot way too tight, banging the other's paint job… and they weren’t alone. The nearest four rows of parking were packed, most of which were Soccer mom SUV’s stuffed into “Compact Cars Only” spaces.Furthermore, this gym is attached to a massive city park, where there are---no joking---a thousand parking spots in the area. It’s become such an issue the gym’s management has had to allocate resources toward solutions.Now, these are people who're about to physically kill themselves for upwards of an hour on any number of cardio busting, pulmonary exploding, aerobic activities...and yet, they open themselves to insurance claims, because they won’t walk, literally, an additional ten steps? These are the same people with Fitbits and other pedometers… measuring how many steps they take each day, proudly posting their achievements for the adoration of humanity worldwide.Opportunity CallsPerceptions can be favorably altered by simply adding a banner ad and follow-up campaign to the gym’s popular website showing: “Your Workout Begins Here”---pointing to the wide-open, spacious parking slots around the perimeter.Solutions are always around and the right touches to a website can make the difference---it’s what we do.

By Mike Ferguson|Categories: Web Design Services|Comments Off

Small Business Internet in 2025: 15 Years of Lessons

Speeds, Reliability, and SEO Impact (15 Years of Lessons) Originally published in 2009, updated for 2025 to reflect the dramatic changes in how small businesses use internet connectivity Back in 2009, I was anxiously waiting for AT&T’s U-verse to reach my neighborhood in Little Rock. My DSL line was crawling at 6 Mbps, and the promise of 18 Mbps felt revolutionary. I called support weekly, tracked rollout maps, and daydreamed about how faster internet would transform my web design business. Fast-forward to 2025, and that “blazing-fast” connection seems laughably slow. Today’s small businesses rely on 100 Mbps or more just to run daily operations. The shift isn’t just about speed — it’s about reliability, cloud adoption, and how internet performance directly affects your website traffic and bottom line. 2009 Reality: When 6 Mbps Was “Enough” Fifteen years ago, the internet played a very different role in business operations. Email dominated, cloud tools were new, and video calls were rare. My 6 Mbps DSL line could handle most of this: Uploading client websites took patience but worked Email with attachments sent slowly but reliably Streaming video wasn’t business-critical Remote work and real-time file sharing were uncommon The biggest pain point? Uploading large website files. When U-verse promised to triple my speeds, it felt like a perfect fix. Lesson learned: Even then, the problem wasn’t just raw speed — it was reliability and understanding what my business truly needed. 2025 Reality: The Cloud-First Small Business The pandemic permanently changed how small businesses operate. According to Upwork’s 2024 Work-from-Anywhere report, 35 % of the workforce now works remotely at least part-time — up from just 5.7 % before 2020. Today’s internet needs look like this: Video-First Communication Zoom, Teams, and Meet are non-negotiable. A single 4K call can use over 3 GB [...]

By Mike Ferguson|Categories: Digital Marketing for Startups, Internet Marketing, Technical|Comments Off

Choosing a Domain Registrar That Won’t Leave You Hanging

Your domain name is basically your digital address. Moreover, picking the wrong registrar to manage it can turn into a real headache down the road. After watching this industry for years, I've seen enough horror stories to know what separates the good registrars from the ones that'll make your life miserable. Why This Still Matters in 2025 Back in the day, you had one choice: Network Solutions. Domains cost $100, and that was it. Now there are approximately 2,800 ICANN-accredited registrars competing for your business, which sounds great until you realize some of them have no business being in business. The domain market has exploded too. Furthermore, we're talking about over 762 million registered domains as of 2025, and that number keeps climbing. With so many options, it's easy to get lured in by rock-bottom prices or flashy marketing. The Real Problems You'll Face Here's what actually happens when registrars go bad, based on verifiable industry data: Transfer troubles - ICANN data shows that transfer and renewal issues are the most common types of complaints they receive. Additionally, while transfers should take about five days, some registrars deliberately delay them as long as possible. Pricing games - Many registrars offer super cheap first-year pricing, then jack up renewal costs. Therefore, what starts as a $2 domain can suddenly cost $25+ to renew. Support nightmares - When things go wrong, you'll discover that some registrars basically don't answer emails or return calls. Consequently, you're stuck waiting while your domain expiration date gets closer. What to Look For Before You Commit Instead of learning these lessons the hard way, here's what actually matters: Test Their Support First Send them a question before you buy anything. Furthermore, time how long it takes to get a real answer from a real person. If [...]

By Mike Ferguson|Categories: customer communication, Technical|5 Comments

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